Blast Predictions at Christmas Island
Abstract
Blast pressures from the Dominic Christmas Island tests were recorded at four stations at varying distances of from 10 to 40 miles as a support activity for blast safety prediction. It was found that atmospheric refraction often influenced blast pressures to a considerable degree at these long ranges. Under usual conditions adequate predictions are made with standard pressure distance curves scaled for yield and height of burst in situations where refracted sound rays are calculated to strike the gage location. In situations where sound rays are calculated to bend away from ground, a diffracted wave strikes the gage, and in this diffraction zone overpressure decays in proportion to distance squared. In the few tenths psi range of overpressures, many records showed strong initial pressure spikes which on occasion reached to double the solid pulse pressure. These spikes are real, last several milliseconds, and appear to be strongest when sound velocity increases with height above ground. Such spikes may be significant in determination of causes of light damage; they have not, however, been satisfactorily explained.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 25, 1963
- Accession Number
- ADA349666
Entities
People
- Hugh W. Church
- Jack W. Reed
Organizations
- Sandia National Laboratories